P007870 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2025-09-30 human Helen Cohn updated 2025-10-07 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007870b.htm person Thornton Barry Stephen AM FTSE AACR2 3 May 1930 28 December 2021 Place of Birth Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Place of Death Australia Aeronautical engineer University Administrator Computer scientist Barry Thornton was one of Australia's computer pioneers, and worked on one of the first commercial computers in installed in Australia. He had a remarkable facility for applying new knowledge across disciplines, adapting insights from his radar research to advance infrared mammogram techniques. During his time with Remington Rand Australia and Honeywell Australia he undertook research and consulting work with the US Air Force, applying his computer methods to the design of wideband radar absorbers on the Stealth aircraft project. Using the principles from this work, he designed fail-safe multifunction airborne computer control systems and jet engine compression innovations. The Foundation for Australian Resources was established by Thornton in 1974 in response to the scarcity of research funding. He oversaw research on water pollution in mining, landmine mapping, solar energy planning, and breast cancer imaging. He was a early advocate of telemedicine and the use of digital technology in healthcare. Later research in biomedical engineering related to the dielectric structure of living cells as they transform from normal to tumorous. In 1973 Thornton became Foundation Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences at the New South Wales Institute of Technology (later University of Technology Sydney). 1952 1957 Career position - Research Officer, CSIRO 1957 1961 Career position - Senior Lecturer, Applied Mathematics and Computing, University of New South Wales 1958 1958 Career position - Visiting Scholar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1961 1963 Career position - Director, Remington Rand Australia's UNIVAC Division 1963 1973 Career position - Director, Technical Operations, Australia Honeywell Information Systems 1973 1977 Career position - Foundation Dean, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, New South Wales Institute of Technology 1974 1974 Career position - Chief Executive, Foundation for Australian Resources 1975 1988 Career position - Head, School of Mathematical Sciences, New South Wales Institute of Technology 1982 1987 Career position - Dean, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, New South Wales Institute of Technology 1988 1990 Career position - Head, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney 1992 1995 Career position - Chairman of the Board, Gartner Group Pacific 1994 2021 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) 1995 Career position - Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics and Computing, University of Technology Sydney 1997 1997 Award - DUniv (honoris causa), University of Technology Sydney 1997 1997 Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - for service to education in the field of applied mathematics and computer science and in the promotion of research through the Foundation for Australian Resources 1998 1998 Award - Silver Medal, Royal Aeronautical Society 2000 Award - Honorary Professor of Physics, University of Sydney 1 Jan 2001 1 Jan 2001 Award - Centenary Medal - for service to Australian society in information technology 2009 2009 Award - Inducted into the Hall of Fame, Pearcey Foundation New South Wales Institute of Technology (1964 - 1988)

Dean, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences 1973 - 1977 and 1982 - 1987

 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1987 - )

Fellow 1994 - 2021

 University of Technology Sydney (1988 - )

Head, School of Mathematical Sciences 1988 - 1990

 Pearcey Foundation (1998 - )

Inducted into the Hall of Fame 2009

 'Thornton, Barry Stephen', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Thornton, Barry Stephen Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Newspaper Article: Scientist made Stealth aircraft invisible and cancer cells visible: Barry Stephen Thornton: 1930 - 2021 Thornton-Benko, Elysia Scientist made Stealth aircraft invisible and cancer cells visible: Barry Stephen Thornton: 1930 - 2021 2022 Sydney Morning Herald 21 February Journal Article: Barry S. Thornton 1930 to 2021 Thornton-Benko, Elysia; Moon, Tony; and Faulkner, Ian Barry S. Thornton 1930 to 2021 2022 Gazette of the Australian Mathematical Society 49 3 120-1 Journal Article: Professor Barry Stephen Thornton AM FTSE Anon Professor Barry Stephen Thornton AM FTSE 2022 Impact: magazine of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering 213 64